Saturday, 18 October 2014

Nuclear-capable Nirbhay missile successfully test fired

Shortly after 10 a.m. on Friday, October 17, while the
prime minister was exhorting an annual meeting in Delhi of top military
commanders from the army, navy and air force to be ready for any call to arms,
India’s newest missile blasted off from a road-mobile launcher at the Chandipur test range
on the coast of Odisha.

This was the Nirbhay long-range cruise missile, which
can be launched at a target more than 1000 kilometres away. Flying at treetop
level and navigating its way through heavily defended enemy airspace where a
manned fighter would be quickly shot down by anti-aircraft missiles and guns,
the Nirbhay is better equipped to survive the flight to its target. Its relatively
slow flight speed, just 1,000 kilometres per hour, allows it to navigate its
way precisely to the target.

In Friday’s test, the Nirbhay demonstrated its entire
bag of tricks. Launched from a canister, it blasted off vertically like a
conventional rocket, then quickly levelled off into horizontal flight, or
“cruise mode”. The solid rocket motor was quickly jettisoned and its
second-stage, turbofan engine started up, propelling the missile forward.

Over the next 70 minutes, the missile navigated its
way to 15 pre-designated “way points”, using a sophisticated inertial
navigation system, which can take assistance from the GPS satellite network.
Halfway through the test, the Nirbhay did a pre-programmed U-turn and headed
back to Chandipur. After travelling 1,050 kilometres, the test was terminated
and the missile splashed into the Bay of Bengal.

The Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO) says the
missile was monitored throughout its flight, including by an air force aircraft
that flew above it.

“The missile maintained an accuracy better than 10
meters throughout its path and covered a distance of more than 1,000 km. The
successful indigenous development of Nirbhay cruise missile will fill a vital
gap in the war fighting capabilities of our armed forces”, said DRDO chief, Dr
Avinash Chander.

This was the second test of the Nirbhay. Its maiden
flight test, conducted on March 12, 2013, had to be terminated mid-way when the
missile started deviating from its intended course.

The Nirbhay cruise
missile is an Indian version of the American Tomahawk, which became an icon of
high-tech warfare in the 1991 Gulf War through televised CNN footage of
Tomahawks flying through the streets of Baghdad and precisely entering target
buildings through open windows.

The Nirbhay has
equally sophisticated facilities. It can “loiter” around a target, i.e. fly in
circles until it is time to strike. Further, it can precisely distinguish its
specified target within a bunch of similar targets.

Defence analysts have long speculated over whether the
Nirbhay can carry a nuclear warhead. The missile tested today carried a warhead
of 350 kilogrammes; that is the weight of a sophisticated nuclear weapon with a
modern design.

The Nirbhay tested today was 7.5 metres long, which allows
it to be configured for launch from land, sea, underwater and air. Submarines
present the greatest challenge, since a submarine launched cruise missile
(SLCM) must be accommodated inside the cramped hull.

Indian
submarines fitted with nuclear-tipped Nirbhay missiles would increase the
versatility of the underwater leg of the nuclear triad.

A key hurdle to
developing a long-range cruise missile like the Nirbhay is the Missile
Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which forbids signatory countries from
assisting or providing technology to any other country developing a cruise
missile with a range of 300 kilometres or more. India and Russia legally
collaborated in developing the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile because its
range was pegged at 295 kilometres, just below the MTCR limit. In building the
Nirbhay, however, India has had to go it alone.

The key design
challenge, which was to develop an air-breathing turbine engine that can propel
the Nirbhay, was met by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE),
Bangalore.

Pakistan, which
has earlier tested and deployed the Babur (Hatf VII) cruise missile, is
believed to have been supplied the engine by China, in violation of the MTCR.

Sir, I am a regular follower of your blog. Please confirm that Nirbhay turbofan engine is made in India. As I see in other forum, folks are thinking it to be impossible. Your confirmation will make my day.

Where is the analysis in your post? Reading your article, one gets a feel that Nirbhay can join the army this Sunday.

What more development challenges remain, how much time left before final operational clearence, how does it compare to similar Pak and Chinese missiles, is the army happy with Nirbhay capabilities etc?

This is a 600-word event report in a newspaper, not a 5000-word analysis for a journal.

In any case, as is known by everyone who is familiar with the induction of new weapon systems, the Nirbhay will go through at least five more flight tests and extensive analysis, lasting at least 2-3 years before it is introduced into service.

And as for your question about whether the army is satisfied with the Nirbhay --- this is premature in the extreme, since it will be a while before the army (or navy, or air force) gets even a sniff of the cruise missile.

It is great to see us getting self sufficient in missile technologies. It has taken 3 decades of persistence. I hope we see similar success in other key segments like ammunition, rifles, Artillery (Army and Naval), tanks/APC, Lght helicopters.I think Army needs to order more Chittals till LUH us decided.